This weekend’s King of the Cage show features a slew of fights that will whet the appetite of any hardcore MMA fan, including Jr. title fights in both the welterweight and flyweight divisions.

Taking place at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, King of the Cage: Martial Law also features the return of DeMarcus “Bang ‘Em Up” Brown, who will step in the cage against Brandon Hastings in a featherweight contest that is sure to get the crowd excited.

Coming off of a win via arm-triangle against Mario Casares at Gladiator Challenge – American Pride, DeMarcus Brown has his sights set on another finish this Sunday. According to Brown, there are more than a few reasons why he’ll leave Ontario, CA with another “W “on his record.

One of the factors playing a large role in his confidence and overall game is the proximity of this Sunday’s fight to where he currently lives.

“It’s a lot more comfortable (fighting close to home). So, (traveling) kind of puts more stress on you, and along with your fight, it’s very stressful. Fighters that travel oversees to fight on short notice, I don’t know how they do it,” said Brown.

Removing stress from his life is important for the popular featherweight fighter, but like everyone else has to deal with the road bumps that life can be known to blindside you with as you progress down its winding road. However, rather than fret about it, Brown chooses to use it to his advantage:

“I don’t like to have too much stress; I usually have a little bit of stress going on in my life, but I just use it as motivation, you know. Stress only motivates me.”

Brandon Hastings, Brown’s opponent this weekend, most likely deals with similar stressors. Whether or not he will be able to harness that stress for use during the fight remains to be seen, but “Bang ‘Em Up” will be ready for him regardless.

“I’ve watched some videos on his fights and stuff. He seems like strictly a Karate guy. You know, nothing too much that I can’t handle. Of course, I think I’m better, so of course, I’m going to win this fight. He’s a good fighter, don’t get me wrong. He’s definitely a good fighter, but I’m definitely confident in myself, and I definitely know that I’m going to beat his ass when I get in that ring,” said Brown when asked about his opponent.

Speaking of his opponent, Hastings is coming off of two losses. He was finished by KO and TKO in both of those outings. One has to wonder if the 35-year old veteran will suffer from a diminished chin or be more susceptible to a hard shot from Brown, who has a few notable knockouts on his record, including a spinning heel kick that finished Erik Diehl in 2015.

Brown will do everything in his power this Sunday to get another highlight-reel KO over Hastings when they throw down:

“You know, I’m gonna to try my best to get another one of those (highlight-reel knockouts). I’ve been working very hard at the gym, and I’m gonna pull out everything. He’s gonna get the whole book thrown at him out there, and if he’s not ready, that’s his own fault. I’m gonna be out there throwing skills like I should be in the UFC already, which I should be.”

Brown’s confidence is palpable and plentiful, which he is quick to credit to his time training at Fight Syndicate MMA (not to be confused with Syndicate MMA) and his coaches, which include head MMA coaches Beau King and Josh Bartlett.

Along with his overall MMA game, his coaches have helped with cutting weight, a task that he has learned to better manage since Fight Connection featured him in a great video that was produced last year, which most likely helped him secure sponsors like NPG Asphalt, ONC Trucking and Fight Syndicate, to name a few.

“The weight’s looking a lot better, I’m only eight pounds away from my goal,” said Brown on the weight cut for his fight against Hastings.

“Back when I did that video I was actually still learning how to do weight cuts, you know. I’m still learning how to do weight cuts, but I’ve learned a little bit more from my past fights. The experience in MMA has definitely helped me with the weight cutting process.”

The easier weight cut, coupled with his training camp, which included heavy doses of ring control and wrestling techniques, all bode well for Brown when he fights this Sunday at King of the Cage: Martial Law.

You can watch DeMarcus “Bang ‘Em Up” Brown this Sunday, September 18th live on MAVTV. For tickets and more info, visit www.cbbankarena.com or call (909) 244-5600.

Ray Higginbotham is a professional writer and avid fan of MMA. For more content like this, follow him on Twitter @_MMARAY or check out his Facebook page here.